Atlanta Falcons, 5-7 like last season, are much better team statistically in 2022

While the Atlanta Falcons are 5-7 through 12 games for the second consecutive year, they are clearly a much better team, even if their record doesn’t show it.

Atlanta was 31st in rushing offense last season, averaging just 86.4 yards per game; this year, the Falcons are fourth, averaging 160 yards per game.

Atlanta had the seventh-worst scoring offense at 18.4 points per game; this year, the Falcons are averaging 22.7.

The Falcons were outscored by 116 points through 12 games last year; this year, the Falcons have scored just 21 fewer points than their opponents.

Atlanta had 11 sacks all of last season; this year, it already has 17.

“I believe we’re a much better team,” Falcons coach Arthur Smith said. “We’re a pretty disciplined team — knock on wood, we don’t get a lot of penalties, don’t have a lot of mental errors … I feel like we’re executing a lot better. We’ve made a lot more progress in a lot of key areas that have given us a chance situationally, but (the losses are) the end result.”

Ultimately, teams are judged on their final record. But just like they’ve done with so many aspects of their team, the Falcons can improve their record, starting by beating the Pittsburgh Steelers (4-7) on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The Falcons have five games left, but just one — a Christmas Eve showdown at the Baltimore Ravens (7-4) — is against a team that entered Week 13 with a winning record.

Atlanta is a half-game behind NFC South Division Tampa Bay (5-6), which beat the Falcons in Week 6 but end the season at Atlanta in Week 17.

Put simply, the Falcons are an unlikely playoff contender and have a schedule that sets up nicely for them to not only make the playoffs, but they would host their first home playoff game as a division champion since advancing to the Super Bowl in 2017.

“Now, does (the progress) make you feel any better that you’re 5-7? No,” Smith said. “But we have a chance, and guys, no matter what’s happened, grind it out — and it’s going to pay off … it has paid off. These young guys, they know what it’s like to be in pressure. Where we are right now, we play in the mud, we’ll fight you, do everything we can to throw at you to make sure we have a shot to win.”

The Falcons are coming off a 19-13 loss at Washington (7-5) on Sunday in which the Falcons reached the Commanders’ 4-yard line with a minute remaining before Mariota threw an interception. The Steelers squandered a 16-3 third-quarter lead before holding off the host Indianapolis Colts 24-17 on Monday.

The Steelers haven’t won consecutive games this season.

The Falcons will need more from the passing game led by Mariota, who went 15 of 25 for 175 yards with a touchdown and interception against Washington.

With tight end Kyle Pitts out for the season, Anthony Firkser and MyCole Pruitt will have to find soft spots in Pittsburgh’s 30th-ranked passing defense (263.7 ypg).

Firkser had one catch for 16 yards, while MyCole Pruitt had two receptions for nine yards, including a 4-yard touchdown, against the Commanders,

While first-round pick Drake London has caught just three passes for 31 yards and a touchdown the past two weeks combined and hasn’t amassed more than 40 receiving yards in any of the past nine games, Olamide Zaccheaus has emerged as the team’s top receiver.

“It’s tough. It’s tough without Kyle, right?” Mariota said. “He’s just an unbelievable player and I thought multiple guys stepped up into that role. You have to when you’re replacing a guy like Kyle, whether it’s (Zaccheaus), whether it’s (MyCole Pruitt), and (Anthony Firkser). I thought our guys came out and filled that role nicely. Unfortunately, we just didn’t make enough plays.”

Zaccheaus has 30 receptions for 465 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 15.5 yards a catch and just as important, records a first down on 76 percent of his catches, sixth-best in the league.

“I think for me, it’s just understanding what they’re in and understanding the concepts,” Zaccheaus said. “Just understanding where people might be when you catch the ball and just kind of taking a picture of where you catch the ball and assessing after that.”

The Falcons’ biggest challenge on Sunday will be running against the Steeler’s defense that allows just 104 yards per game, sixth-best in the league.

But running the ball is the Falcons’ unquestioned strength. Tyler Allgeier’s team-high 552 rushing yards are third-most among rookies, while Cordarrelle Patterson has 506 yards on five touchdowns on 97 carries in just eight games.

Mariota has rushed 421 yards and four scores on 82 carries in addition to completing 62 percent of his passes for 2,052 yards with 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

However, the Falcons are 4-5 in one-score games this year after going 7-2 in games separated by eight points or fewer in last season, which is a major reason why they are 5-7 and not firmly atop the NFC South.

“We are a good team but, in order to be a great team, we’ve got to finish,” Allgeier said. “You have good teams all over, but those who close games out end up on top. All of our effort is there.”